Write what you know. Every writer has heard that advice — and it makes sense. Obviously, the more you know about something, the better you can describe it. If you can envision what your characters are doing, if you know what they are thinking, you can make that scene come alive. And that makes for great fiction.
The only problem with that advice is that some of us don’t know too much. Take me, for example. In my adult life I’ve worked mostly as a teacher or a writer — and neither career offers much drama for a book. Sure, there have been a few good stories set in schools, but even then, anything that offers the possibility of making a story interesting or suspenseful — weapons, hostage situations, explosives — immediately takes me out of my zone of expertise. And really, how many teacher-related stories do you want to read?
So that means doing research. Lots of research. When I wrote HEART OF A THIEF (Book one of The Crusaders, out next week! 
), I was very familiar with the setting. I used to live in Spain, so I could recall the sights, sounds, and scents without a problem. But even though I knew the culture and setting, I still had to learn about weapons, safe cracking, amber, Gypsies, and gold, just to name a few things.
I was more at sea when I wrote book two of The Crusaders, TO PROTECT A PRINCESS (coming in November). That book is set in Peru, a place I’d never been. And the characters were on horseback, another thing I knew nothing about. Luckily, I was able to convince my husband to take a trip with me to the remote regions of the Andes, where I gathered some great details for my book. And I found some experts who advised me on the rest.
Book three is set in the Himalayas, however, and unless I win the lottery I doubt I’ll be getting to Nepal. And I’m also writing a continuity book for Silhouette Romantic Suspense, a story that possibly involves a plane crash and trek on foot through the desert. I somehow doubt I’ll be able to experience that first hand 
. So that means doing more research, mostly from books… and the potential for errors is huge.
I don’t know about you, but nothing ruins a story more for me than coming across things that I know aren’t true. The occasional error is fine, and probably unavoidable, but when something is clearly not plausible, it really jerks me out of the story.
So what about you? Have you ever read a book with details that you knew were wrong? Please don’t give titles or names of the authors, but what errors have you found in a book? Any pet peeves? Or conversely, have you ever been impressed by how well an author did in getting the facts right in a book?
And since I’m celebrating the release next week of HEART OF A THIEF 
, I’ll send a copy to one of the people who comments.
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I’ve had a blast reading books set in Melbourne, Australia. We’ve been here for the year and I’ve become very familiar with the city. I’ve smiled reading while reading the books.
I’ve seen on one author admit on her website that there was an error about a city she mentioned.
I have more pet peeves when names get changed.
Can’t wait for this new series.
by Ann M.
on April 23rd, 2008 at 6:19 am
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Oh, lucky you to be in Australia!!!!
I hate it when people make mistakes with Spanish phrases. It’s not exactly an exotic language, so the author should have been able to find someone to ask. That said, I do know that sometimes copy editors or others make mistakes when the book is in production, so not every error is due to the author.
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Yes I have. The back blurb stated that the hero had a son and in the story he actually had a daughter (or vice versa - I cant remember) - I kept waiting for the child to die and another to be born.
Also descriptions or cover art of various heroes have been wrong - hair color, hairy chests and shown on cover as hairless.
Also a situation with lights on and off in one particular book.
I love when a book takes place in my area then I can verify info is correct and am tickled to have my area in a book.
by Pat L.
on April 23rd, 2008 at 7:22 am
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LOL, Pat! I have read a couple of books where I kept looking at the cover, wondering who on earth those people were, or if I missed a hair color change somewhere in the plot. But you do know that authors have no real control over their covers or back-cover copy, right? We submit information, but then the art department pretty much does whatever they want. I’ve heard lots of horror stories from authors about covers gone wrong. In fact, when they translated my first book, WHERE HE BELONGS, into German, they not only gave it an entirely new cover with characters that didn’t resemble mine in the least, and added a backdrop involving buckets of paint (there was no paint in the book), but they changed the hero’s first name. Of course, I later learned that Wade (his name) means “calf” or something similar in German, which prompted the change to Garth…. but still!
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Being Mexican by birth, the misuse of Spanish phrases (particularly curses–it’s cojones, people; cajones means drawers in a dresser) irritates me no end. I’ve learn the breathe my way through it, particularly if the books is really well written, but still! As you say, it ain’t that hard 
The other thing that bothers me a lot–even though it is for the most part out of the hands of the authors–are blurbs. Many readers buy books based mostly on the blurb, and having it be something completely different will leave the reader with a bad impression of the (innocent) author. Or the blurb may give away too much of the plot, ruining the writer’s hard work setting some specific twist up. 
by azteclady
on April 23rd, 2008 at 7:50 am
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Yes, the “cajones” thing is typical. “He’s got drawers, I’ll give him that!” 
I could understand it if it were an exotic language and the author couldn’t find anyone to ask, but Spanish…. I can understand why this would drive you nuts!
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Hi Gail,
I’ve read a few books where things are wrong. Generally legal issues. When Miranda rights are read, etc - so on and so forth. [Misusing legal terms…] Not really the best, slightly annoying, but I’m mostly ok with it - I know it’s hard to understand and the general public has a misconception as to when/what those things are. Otherwise… I once read just a blurb about a book set in ancient China, and it still steams me. From the excerpt, I felt that the author did no research *at all.* The terminology, characters, how they acted, the vocabulary, ALL WRONG. It was like s/he flipped open a random “learn Chinese/Mandarin” book, then decided to use random words throughout the text.
However, there are some books, historicals - often Victorians, where it’s clear the author did a lot of research. It’s wonderful because you can tell they know what they’re talking about, but the book isn’t pedantic. I know some authors are even so careful that they won’t use words that hadn’t “come into existence” yet. It’s just nice when you can tell the author really cares about their writing.
by limecello
on April 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 am
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That brings up a good point. Sometimes the author can be correct, but if it goes contrary to common belief, no one will believe it.
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Hi Gail. Apparently I’m in the minority here, because unless it’s a huge mistake I can forgive it, in fiction anyway. I hate when the covers don’t match the book content, but that is my biggest pet peeve.
by Patty L.
on April 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
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I do reading for a few authors, proofing manuscripts or lending extra eyes to galleys, so I tend to read with a little more attention to detail. I can step around small typos or errors and let them go, but repeated mistakes, name changes or description changes do pull me out of a story b/c I start thinking about how many eyes have probably looked this over and missed them.
Sometimes too many details and/or descriptions about surroundings or clothing, etc. can simply be too much. I like to know details, but prefer that designer labels or luxury item names be kept to a minimum.
by Laurie
on April 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
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Patty - It sure would be nice if they let the authors approve the cover design. 
On the other hand, when they give us a fabulous cover, it’s a reason to celebrate!!!
Laurie - I know what you mean. I recently read a book by a pretty well-known author who started every scene by describing what the characters were wearing. That stopped me cold, mostly because I don’t care about those details unless they are relevant somehow. But a lot of people DO like to know about the clothes, so I guess it’s a matter of taste.
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I said,
I’ve learn the breathe my way through it, particularly if the books is really well written, but still!
I meant to say,
I’ve learned to breathe my way through it, particularly if the book is really well written, but still!
I R idjit.
by azteclady
on April 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
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I used to be in the Army and I’m still involved with it on a daily basis. So when an author who shall remain nameless (but is generally considered pretty big name and once upon a time was quite beloved) screwed up a good half a dozen things in less than 100 pages, I was uber annoyed. They were very basic things too, like reversing the order of ranks, or having a female character in uniform with a long braid down her back. Stooopid. Even a Wikipedia search would have turned up better info.
I know some authors are even so careful that they won’t use words that hadn’t “come into existence” yet.
This is *freaking* hard to do. But even tougher to catch is when a word may have been in existence but used to mean something else. That freaking kills me.
by Lorelie
on April 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 am
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I agree, Lorelie. My husband was reading a suspense novel the other day (not a romance) and a lot of the action took place on a ship. My husband (retired Coast Guard officer) was pretty impressed that they got the details right — except for one dialogue exchange that made him laugh out loud. I had read the book and never noticed because I’ve never worked on board a ship, but he caught it right away.
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If the story is great and grabs my attention, I do not care if there are any mistakes!!! The story as a whole is what I enjoy! So bring me a great read anytime!!! 
by Colleen
on April 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
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I was unaware that you could watch the sun setting over the ocean while in Nevada….
Covers should be pretty true to the story.
by Karen B
on April 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
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Mistakes do disrupt the rhythm while you’re reading, but it’s usually forgotten very quickly. I’m more annoyed with spelling mistakes and when a character’s features are changed.
by Jane
on April 23rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
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The only thing I find really irritating is when the person or people on the cover do not match the description the author gave. I know that authors does not pick their own covers so an author is not to blame but it is still irritating.
by Cherie J
on April 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
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That’s funny that covers bother people. I understand it, but since it’s oftentimes not something authors get to control, it doesn’t bother me. I might look at it and have a “huh” moment- but that’s ok.
I think I’m pretty forgiving, but that one book excerpt I read *really* peeved me. It was almost as bad as the author getting their own character’s names wrong. It was… just ridiculous. I know it’s hard to please everyone, and authors [it seems] sometimes shy away from their “area of expertise.” But if the information is easily accessible … [i.e. a quick google/wiki search will turn up the correct information…] I expect the author to have it right. E.g. the capital of a country, national monument, etc.
by limecello
on April 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
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The only thing that bothers me is when details like names, places, etc change in a series. It causes me to go back and look to see if my memory is failing. LOL
by Crystal B.
on April 23rd, 2008 at 3:54 pm
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Also a situation with lights on and off in one particular book.
I read that one too, using the phrase turn off the light when referring to a candle. Sheesh. That was sloppy and it irritated the fool out of me.
I’ve also read a book or two where the names of characters are inconsistent. That really has me shaking my head in confusion.
I really admire authors who strive for authenticity without losing the drama.
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Rats. I tried to blockquote that first line but it didn’t work. Wish I knew how. *sigh*
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I remember reading a book once where the character was called the wrong name. My impression was that the author had decided to change his name, and missed making the change on that particular page. The character’s initials were the same — it was like he was Joe Smith throughout the book but John Sands on one page. It was bizarre.
And I agree with everyone on the cover issue. You’d think that the artists could at least get the people to basically resemble the ones in the book (knock on wood, mine have all been fine so far!). Most of the time I do think they get it right. I have seen a few books where they didn’t match, though, and it was very confusing. I kept wondering what I’d missed.
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Yup Gail, I do know it is not the author’s fault re the cover art. That is real nono to me if it doesnt match up.
by Pat L.
on April 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
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My biggest pet peeve is the changing of eye or hair color partway through the book.
by Estella
on April 23rd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
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I’ve not notcied any of these errors of if they were there, I didn’t catch them, lol.
by Dina
on April 23rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
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Just recently I was shocked to hear an author say she just made things up!!! Now I can understand mistakes getting through but she purposely didn’t actually research things - one example: jungle setting and she invented plants. Now I’m not an author but how hard would it have been to find a name to a real plant. Ever since I’ve been a little leery about what I read and that does upset me because I always figured I was learning while I enjoyed my books.
by catslady
on April 23rd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
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Catslady - I think that author is definitely in the minority. Most authors I know do all sorts of research and really try their best to get the details right. So don’t let that one author skew your impression of the rest!
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I can’t remember reading a book where the author had the details wrong but I may have. It would bother me if important details were wrong.
by Linda F
on April 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
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I can’t remember reading a book if there were details that were wrong or not, since I don’t know that much history about the item or place and I also don’t travel much. I think that if I read something that was wrong, I would kind of make me wonder eventhough books are fiction.
by Amelia
on April 24th, 2008 at 1:07 am
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Congratulations on your upcoming release! Hmm, well no authors come to mind who really stood out in not getting things wrong in their books. But there are quite a few authors I thought did really well in reserching to get things perfect in their books and your definitely one of them.
by April
on April 24th, 2008 at 2:42 am
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Limecello - you are lucky #7! You’re my winner. If you’d like to email me your address (gail@gailbarrett.com), I’ll mail you a copy of HEART OF A THIEF.
Thanks, everyone, for blogging. I’m off to two book signings this weekend for the new book and am so excited!!! 
Woo-hoo!!!! If you happen to read HEART OF A THIEF, let me know what you think. I’d love to know. And I sure hope I didn’t make any mistakes…
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*applause* Congrats, limecello! Gail, best of luck with Heart of a Thief
Byrdloves2read, this is how you quote, just take off all spaces:
your quote goes here
by azteclady
on April 24th, 2008 at 9:03 am
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okay… it took the spaces out. Lemme try again…
Use with the word blockquote inside, then your quote, then with the word blockquote inside.
by azteclady
on April 24th, 2008 at 9:05 am
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well, that’s it *pout* it won’t let me.
by azteclady
on April 24th, 2008 at 9:06 am
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Here we go:
Ok, the thing on the same keys as the comma and the period are called carrots. So in the following example:
(blockquote)Text goes here(/blockquote)
You’d replace the parenthesis with the carrot facing the appropriate way. Don’t forget that slash before the second blockquote or you could break someones comments.
by Lorelie
on April 24th, 2008 at 10:26 am
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*giggling* Thanks Azteclady and Lorelie. I had some old notes that said use ctrl l to blockquote and that didn’t work. I’ll make a note of this. Thanks again.
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wtg lime
by kim h
on April 24th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
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Lorelie, u r smart.
Me, I R idjit.
(thanks)
by azteclady
on April 24th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
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I noes. Iz so smart, is skeery.
(No problem. I did the same thing a couple times.)
by Lorelie
on April 25th, 2008 at 11:58 am
